WATCH ABOVE: Snow removal effort underway at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium
TORONTO – The Buffalo Bills home game against the New York Jets has been moved to Monday night in Detroit, the NFL announced late Thursday.
The Buffalo area has been pounded by a lake-effect snowstorm, which has dumped more than six feet of snow in the area as of Thursday.
“Due to public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York, Sunday’s Jets-Bills game will not be played in Buffalo,” NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in a statement.
The Bills will take on the Jets at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, who are playing the New England Patriots Sunday.
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Earlier Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that it would be “impractical” for the Bills to host the Jets.
“If you ask me today, right now, my sense is it’s impractical to do the game because it would jeopardize public safety,” Cuomo said. “Everybody would love to see a Bills game go forward, but I think even more, everybody wants to make sure public safety comes first.”
Early reports cited Toronto or Pittsburgh as possibilities, but both were ruled out.
Steph Porter, a spokesperson for the Rogers Centre, said they have not been contacted by anyone at the NFL or Buffalo Bills about hosting a game Sunday. She added that it would be “challenging” to prep the stadium for an NFL game just three days before kick-off.
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The epic snowstorm dumped an estimated 220,000 tons of snow on the Bills’ stadium. On Wednesday, the team said it would offer fans $10 an hour, plus game tickets to anyone who helped clear the snow.
The ferocious storm has forced the Bills to cancel practice for a second straight day as players have been snowed in. The Bills (5-5) haven’t practiced since Monday, while Jets (2-8) are coming off a bye week.
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Jets head coach Rex Ryan said a change in venue wouldn’t affect his team.
“It wouldn’t affect us,” Ryan told reporters. “We’d just aim our plane in a different direction, I guess.”
Despite the wintry weather, Bills players have taken to social media to show the snowy weather hasn’t kept their spirits down. On Tuesday, several Bills players were spotted around Buffalo helping those left stranded or trapped in their homes due to the snow.
*With files from The Associated Press
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